Elderly, disabled, infirm and convalescing persons often have difficulty with simple movements, such as shifting body positions, standing from a sitting position, and most importantly, getting up from supine position. Such individuals frequently need to be assisted by professionals to carry out such tasks. Facilitating secure movement in this manner prevents falls and resulting injuries. However, facilitating such movement without the need of professionals achieves the same ends, while promoting personal autonomy and decreasing the level of assistance and supervision required.
A variety of support frameworks have previously been used as support devices on hospital beds and as a means for transferring elderly, disabled, and convalescing persons into and out of bed.
Many conventional bed access devices include one or two horizontal bars that extend the length of the bed and are secured both at the head and foot ends of the bed. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,824 to Hodges. These overhead bars provide the patient with a handhold in order to shift himself toward the side of the bed. Such apparatus are generally satisfactory for exercise, traction and the like while the patient is on the bed. However, since the overhead bars are normally centered over the bed and spaced away from the bedside, these apparatus often do not provide sufficient assistance to the patient for getting into or out of the bed.
Although some prior assist apparatus have used an overhead cantilevered beam that extend laterally to the overhead bars, such beams have normally been used as a track for mechanical lifting devices. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 2,490,130 to Hollis. These devices actually hoist the patient out of the bed and carry the patient to the bedside. Such devices unfortunately depend on significant gripping capability and upper body strength.
A further limitation on prior art designs comes from the fact that these devices are typically designed for hospital use and therefore are not easily adaptable to other settings, including but not limited to private domestic settings. That is to say, such support structures are designed to be permanently installed with extensive modification of ceiling, walls and/or floors.
What is needed is a simple, effective method of assisting disabled individuals that does not rely on significant upper body strength and that is readily adapted to different user needs and environments.